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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | | |  | | By Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey | | 
Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, right, answers a question during a briefing with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo | Welcome to National Security Daily, your guide to the global events roiling Washington and keeping the administration up at night. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint The White House has approved a recommendation by the nation's top military officer that the administration intensify cooperation with the ad hoc groups that have been working to evacuate American citizens and at-risk Afghans from the country, a White House and two State Department officials told LARA SELIGMAN, ERIN BANCO and your host. On Tuesday at the Pentagon, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY met for the first time with representatives from a number of the groups, according to eight people familiar with discussions and an informal readout sent to volunteers. The groups represented included Task Force Pineapple, Task Force Dunkirk and EVAC, which runs a program that helps support Afghan women’s education. Under the proposal discussed at the meeting, the U.S. government — including both the Pentagon and the State Department — would act as the central point of contact for the various groups coordinating rescues. However, U.S. officials say the State Department, and not the Pentagon, will lead the effort. The partnership will “work as a fusion center for all of our organizations to deconflict the ground and air space,” according to the readout. “This will permit us to move people and get them to safety — providing top cover for all that we do.” The original Milley proposal called for a "public/private partnership," according to the readout of the meeting. A White House official clarified that President JOE BIDEN had not approved a new endeavor, but rather an intensification of existing coordination efforts. The new effort will focus in part on deconflicting the various lists of potential evacuees that each of the groups has independently put together, as well as verifying each person’s status, a senior State official said. “We need to get a better structure in place for us to communicate with these groups, for these groups to communicate with us, and try to put a bit more consistency and focus around it so that if … we have opportunities to get groups out, if and as we see opportunities where the Talibs are going to be a bit more flexible for whatever reason, we are all working to a common set of parameters and hopefully off of a common set of priorities,” the official stressed. But the official also tried to temper notions of an all-out military-backed campaign to rescue the remaining Americans and vulnerable Afghans still in the country. “It’s important to try to manage expectations. This is about coming up with good data and coming up with a common operating picture about really what the pool of people are that outside advocates are most worried about, where are they and how can we try to … position ourselves to help them depart Afghanistan,” the senior State official said, noting that the challenges until now have involved “physically securing access for these people to leave.” Read the full POLITICO scoop here. | | | DHS CHIEF SAYS FEDS WILL “SEEK TO RESETTLE” AFGHANS IN U.S.: Discussing the refugees fleeing Taliban rule, Homeland Security Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS confirmed: “As far as I know, the individuals arriving here, we will seek to resettle here.” That was one the main takeaways from his session with a small group of reporters at a DHS campus Wednesday afternoon, which NatSec Daily attended. After the Q&A, Mayorkas’ press team provided some figures on who has made it to the United States so far. Of the nearly 60,000 who have arrived in America, 11 percent are U.S. citizens, 6 percent are lawful permanent residents, and 83 percent are Afghans at risk. “We seek to admit them, and resettle them, with a tremendous source of pride,” Mayorkas said. NatSec Daily has heard a lot of talk about the administration being a little wary of admitting too many refugees and immigrants for fear of attacks from the right — a notion other administration officials firmly deny. FIRST FLIGHT OUT OF AFGHANISTAN SINCE WITHDRAWAL: The Taliban allowed roughly 200 foreigners — including Americans citizens, U.S. nationals and others — to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on a plane Thursday headed for Qatar, NatSec Daily has confirmed. Their departure, first reported by The Wall Street Journal’s YAROSLAV TROFIMOV and DION NISSENBAUM, represents a bit of good news for the Biden administration after the Taliban effectively blocked eligible Americans from flying out of Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport in northern Afghanistan. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN had been huddling on the issue with Qatari officials while on a trip to Doha this week. “As we have said, our efforts to assist U.S. citizens and others to whom we have a special commitment are ongoing, but we aren’t in a position to share additional details at this time,” a State Department spokesperson said of the flight Thursday. White House press secretary JEN PSAKI was similarly vague when pressed on exactly how many Americans remain in Afghanistan — a number U.S. officials have previously pegged at roughly 100. “What’s important to remember here … is that some people may not have decided to depart Afghanistan yet, even today. They may be dual citizens. We want to leave the door open, that if they decide [to leave] a week from now, three months from now, they can depart,” Psaki told CNN. “So that’s one of the reasons these numbers have a broad range. Because we may be in touch with people who say, ‘I’ve not decided yet, but talk to me in a week.’ And we want to leave the door open to that.” National Security Council spokesperson EMILY HORNE confirmed in a statement Thursday afternoon that a chartered Qatar Airways flight had “safely landed in Qatar.” She also said the Taliban “have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights from [Hamid Karzai International Airport]. They have shown flexibility, and they have been businesslike and professional in our dealings with them in this effort. This is a positive first step.” ATF PICK PULLED: The White House has withdrawn its nomination of DAVID CHIPMAN, currently a senior adviser to the gun control group Giffords, to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the face of an uphill Senate confirmation battle. The move means the domestic law enforcement agency tasked with thwarting firearm-related offenses, which has functioned under an acting director for more than 28 months, will continue for at least a little while longer without a permanent leader — at a time when the National Security Council has warned that easy access to guns is making domestic terror attacks harder to stop, as NatSec Daily previously reported. IT’S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and qforgey@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @QuintForgey. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmccleary, @leehudson, @AndrewDesiderio and @JonnyCustodio. | | | | INTRODUCING OTTAWA PLAYBOOK : Join the growing community of Politicos — from lawmakers and leaders to pollsters, staffers, strategists and lobbyists — working to shape Canada’s future. Every day, our reporting team pulls back the curtain to shed light on what’s really driving the agenda on Parliament Hill, the true players who are shaping politics and policy across Canada, and the impact it all has on the world. Don’t miss out on your daily look inside Canadian politics and power. Subscribe to Ottawa Playbook today. | | | | | | | | SECDEF WARNS AQ COULD USE AFGHANISTAN AS HUB AGAIN: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN said Thursday that al-Qaeda could once again take advantage of Afghanistan as a safe haven from which to plan attacks against the United States following America’s military withdrawal. “The whole community is kind of watching to see what happens and whether or not al-Qaeda has the ability to regenerate in Afghanistan,” he told a small number of reporters in Kuwait. “The nature of al-Qaeda … is they will always attempt to find space to grow and regenerate, whether it’s there, whether it’s in Somalia, or whether it’s in any other ungoverned space. I think that’s the nature of the organization.” The Taliban allowed al-Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan when it previously ruled from 1996-2001. The United States has urged the militants not to provide the same cover for the terrorist group this time around. “We put the Taliban on notice that we expect them to not allow that to happen,” Austin said. When NatSec Daily relayed those comments on a media call to Sen. ANGUS KING (I-Maine), the member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees said he had “no doubt” al-Qaeda would try to regenerate their refuge in Afghanistan. “It’s hard to argue with a straight face that there won’t be an increased terrorist presence in Afghanistan.” | | | ARMY RETHINKS “INFO ADVANTAGE”: Defense News’ MARK POMERLEAU reports that there’s deep thinking happening within the Army’s leadership on how to maintain an “information advantage.” “The Army has outlined five core tasks for information advantage: enabling decision-making; protecting friendly information; informing and educating domestic audiences; informing and influencing international audiences; and conducting information warfare,” he wrote. “A shift in thinking has occurred among top Army leadership over the last couple of years: Instead of giving a single command or commander information-related capabilities, the Army is emphasizing information advantage for all commanders, so they can choose the best capabilities available to influence their battle spaces.” Officials told Pomerleau that this idea might soon become part of official Army doctrine. | | | ARMY SEC. HINTS AT CUTS TO 35 PROGRAMS: Army Secretary CHRISTINE WORMUTH said 35 core Army programs face cuts in the near future, per Breaking Defense’s COLIN CLARK. Those 35 programs, which include systems like hypersonic missiles and tactical goggles, are central to the service’s modernization efforts. But as the Army looks ahead to FY2023, it knows it must consider cost tradeoffs. “There are definitely, I think, going to be more tough choices ahead. But we’re also looking, you know, we’re trying to find savings wherever we responsibly can and also try to be innovative in terms of how we’re managing the many demands on our budget,” Wormuth said at the virtual Defense News conference Wednesday. “We’re going to think about, you know, what are we seeing with our prototypes — which ones are playing out. What are we seeing in terms of thinking about how, you know, are these programs affordable at scale.” | | | KING PREVIEWS AFGHANISTAN HEARINGS: On the senator’s media call today, our own ANDREW DESIDERIO encouraged King to preview the main questions lawmakers have for Biden administration officials on their Afghanistan policy. He laid out three general lines of inquiry. 1. Bagram handover: King and his colleagues want to know why the U.S. military handed over control of Bagram Air Base to the Afghans before completing the withdrawal. The administration has answered this question for weeks now, saying the numbers of troops in the country couldn’t safeguard both the base and Kabul’s international airport at the same time. However, many on the Hill find that answer unsatisfying. 2. Afghan army capitulation: What did the intelligence say about the willingness of the Afghan government and forces to fight for their country, as well as the predicted speed of the Taliban takeover? King was quick to note he doesn’t think what occurred was an intelligence failure, but he and other lawmakers want a better understanding of what the United States thought it knew. 3. Biden’s unconditional timeline: What was the reason for the administration to stick so closely to the military withdrawal date of Aug. 31? Biden said leaving by that deadline was the unanimous recommendation of his civilian and military advisers, in part because of threats by ISIS against Kabul’s airport. But King would like an answer as to why so many in the administration argued against extending the timetable. The Senate Armed Services Committee recently announced a closed Sept. 15 hearing with Gen. SCOTT MILLER , who led U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and open and closed Sept. 28 sessions with Austin, Milley and Gen. FRANK MCKENZIE, the U.S. Central Command chief. On Sept. 13, Blinken will testify on Afghanistan before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and he will repeat his performance in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Sept. 14. | | | HOUSE REPUBLICANS WORRIED ABOUT REFUGEE SCREENING: Forty-one members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus for House GOP lawmakers and the conference’s policy arm, sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday expressing “grave concern” about the administration’s vetting of Afghan refugees coming to the United States. “Specifically, we are concerned that inadequate criminal and security background checks are being performed by the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of State on evacuees in their country of origin, and in other countries in which they have resided or to which they traveled before being brought to the United States,” wrote the group, led by Rep. YVETTE HERRELL (R-N.M.). The acceptance of Afghan refugees — who aided the two-decade American war effort and escaped imminent threat from the Taliban — has emerged as a flashpoint within the GOP in recent weeks, as our colleagues have reported. Some Republicans have stoked fears about the foreigners and the U.S. screening process, while others have argued America has a moral duty to welcome its allies. In their letter to Biden, the lawmakers wrote the United States “should honor its promises to help Afghan nationals and their families. … Nonetheless, there are substantial and concrete concerns that in the course of your calamitous withdrawal of troops and evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, some individuals may have made their way into the country who are terrorists or have terrorist intent, are convicted violent criminals, or are otherwise dangerous persons.” In his interview with reporters yesterday, DHS chief Mayorkas addressed such vetting concerns. “The policy is that individuals are fully screened and vetted before they board flights to the United States,” he said. Should troubling information arise while the person is in transit to America and that information can’t be explained to the government’s satisfaction, then that person will be placed in immigration enforcement proceedings. “We will endeavor to remove that individual to a third country,” Mayorkas said. | | | — DANIEL MARKEY, an expert on South Asia and China’s designs in the region, has joined the U.S. Institute of Peace. He tweeted that he and his team will “be working to expand our programming, research, and partnerships in South Asia.” — STEWART HOLMES was announced today as Huntington Ingalls’ new executive vice president, government and customer relations.“Stewart has extensive knowledge and experience in government relations and defense issues,” HHI CEO MIKE PETTERS said in an announcement released by the company. | | | | Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today . | | | | | | | | — ALICE HILL, Foreign Affairs: “The United States Isn’t Ready for the New Phase of Climate Change” — CHRISTOPHER WRAY, The Washington Post: “ Opinion: Hard-earned lessons from 9/11 offer a playbook for combating today’s threats” — ROBERT GATES, LEON PANETTA, CHUCK HAGEL, ASH CARTER, JIM MATTIS and MARK ESPER, The Washington Post: “Opinion: We must memorialize the fallen in the global war on terrorism” | | | — Chatham House, 8 a.m.: “Is the war on terror over? European and U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 — with RENATA DWAN, ROBIN NIBLETT, MEGHAN O’SULLIVAN, HINA RABBANI KHAR and JOHN SAWERS” — The Institute of International and European Affairs, 8 a.m.: “U.S.-Latin America Relations: A new beginning? — with GUILLAUME LONG” — The American Enterprise Institute, 9 a.m.: “20 years after 9/11: Counterterrorism lessons for future frontiers — with LUKE HARTIG, DANIEL MILTON, JASON WARNER and KATHERINE ZIMMERMAN” — The Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: “A special event with Afghanistan’s former Central Bank Governor, AJMAL AHMADY — with JULIA FRIEDLANDER and JOSH LIPSKY” — The Quincy Institute, 9 a.m.: “The 9/11 Wars: Looking Back, Moving Forward — with ANDREW BACEVICH, PETER BEINART, AZMAT KHAN, CARTER MALKASIAN, CHRIS MURPHY, TRITA PARSI, BARNETT R. RUBIN, ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER and ADAM WEINSTEIN” — The Brookings Institution, 9:30 a.m.: “9/11, 20 years later: Legacies and lessons — with MADIHA AFZAL, JOHN R. ALLEN, DANIEL L. BYMAN, RYAN CROCKER, SUSAN B. GLASSER, JANE HORTON, WILL HURD, ELAINE KAMARCK, JULIETTE KAYYEM, MICHAEL E. O’HANLON, FARAH PANDITH, RASHAWN RAY and BENJAMIN WITTES” — The Middle East Institute, 10:30 a.m.: “Two Decades Later: Reflecting on Terrorism & Counterterrorism Since 9/11 — with TRICIA BACON, EDMUND FITTON-BROWN, CHARLES LISTER and MICHAEL NAGATA” — The Business Council for International Understanding, 11 a.m.: “Virtual Roundtable Discussion with Ms. DANA BANKS, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council” — The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 11 a.m.: “Bangladesh’s foreign policy priorities and challenges — with MASUD BIN MOMEN and RAHUL ROY-CHAUDHURY” — The Hoover Institution, 1 p.m.: “Reflecting on September 11th: 20 Years Later — with KAREN HUGHES, JIM MATTIS, CONDOLEEZZA RICE, PETER ROBINSON and JOHN B. TAYLOR” Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot us an email at award@politico.com or qforgey@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. Thanks to editor Ben Pauker. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
